


For the Aiming of Forever

by Nothing_can_last_forever



Category: Forever (TV), House M.D.
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2018-09-27 16:44:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10034036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nothing_can_last_forever/pseuds/Nothing_can_last_forever
Summary: Forever is a long time, and a long time can seem like forever. When a long time and forever cross, disasters happen.





	1. Along Comes Five...

**Author's Note:**

> Season Eight of House didn’t happen, Wilson and House are secretly dating (everybody knows though) and it’s a crossover with Forever on ABC. No relationship between Jo and Henry.

House grumbles all the way to the car, Wilson attempting to chat with him, to ease the suffering for everyone else. The whole team makes their way to a minibus, intended to take them on a glorious trip to New York City. While the trip was only roughly an hour away, House feels the need to express his thoughts very loudly concerning the reason in which they were going. Cuddy, tired of his complaining already, gives him the options of going, or three months of clinic duty. Having House properly shut up for the time being, with Wilson dragging their luggage behind them, they all enter the bus.   
It was a tight squeeze, forcing bodies to collide and bags to go flying. Thirteen, desperate to avoid the madness, runs towards the back, Taub in tow. Chase, fumbling his way through the crowded seats, resolved to sit himself towards the front, headphones in check the moment he say down. House, still moaning about the small spaces and room for his leg, took up the front row with Wilson. Cuddy stood at the front, remaining them again for where they were going, and why. Apparently, the NYPD and New York Medical Examiner’s Office had its yearly medical check-up and discussion, and no hospital in New York was going to do it. Someone went haywire for every hospital in the state, and they were pulling out the big guns, hearing about the Diagnostics Department’s reputation. Cuddy was more than happy to oblige, sending House and the team out immediately after a horrid week of arguments, death threats and misconduct, unusual even for them.   
The trip seems to last forever, the views changing drastically as the change interstate. House and Wilson continue with their lover’s discussion, laying on top of each other like lovesick puppies. Chase and Taub sleep, heavy snoring coming from Taub. Thirteen entertains herself by placing pins on Taub’s clothes and hair, seemingly pulling them out of nowhere. The small suburban houses change into towering skyscrapers and bustling city walkways. The bus seems to take many turns, going from left to right and right to left every minute or so. The screeching tires and the yelling of pedestrians wake Taub up, sending pins flying. Startled, he shakes his body in a desperate attempt to get rid of the foreign objects, which only proceeds to spread the pins over his body.   
Thirteen laughs in the background, munching on her health snacks, unlike the others. House and Wilson ignore the ruckus behind them, sharing a giant bag of lollies between them. Chase decides to join the world of the living, attempting to steal the bag, and to the despair of himself, fails. Taub joins Thirteen in laughing as they both imitate the others in the bus, including each other. The Empire State Building towers over several buildings surrounding it, and those who had not seen it before become more and more excited as they approach the building, and their hotel.   
The NYPD had been kind enough to book rooms at a prominent hotel in the heart of the city. The luxury of the accommodation does not suit the ragged look of some of the doctors, naming House and Chase. The younger members scurry off, enjoying the views and grandness that the hotel offered, leaving House, Wilson and Taub to slowly lug their luggage to the floor. Fortunately for the three elders, luggage boys littered around the lobby, collecting and dispersing bags as they go. Sirens blare outside, pedestrians hog the sidewalk. The constant noise and disruptions that New York offers is much different to that of Princeton, much different to what most of the team is used to.   
Chase comes back with two handfuls of lollies, three already in his mouth. Thirteen races over, the whole jar in her arms. Together, the two of them sprint for the elevators. Wilson glares at House, silently telling him to get his ducklings under control. Sighing at his lover’s silent argument against him, House limps over to the little ducklings, snatching a handful out of the jar as the three enter an elevator. Unimpressed with none of them, Wilson and Taub attempt to catch up to the three childish doctors. Stringy music plays in the lift, with the two squashed in-between businessmen and poshly-dressed ladies alike. Taub becomes lost in the crowd, jousted and thrown against the wall. Knowing of House’s disapproval if one of his team members were injured while they were away, Wilson stalks the crowd, grabs onto Taub’s lapel and drags him down the corridor towards the rooms.   
Four rooms were presented to them, all high-end suites. House bags the one closest to the door, Wilson entering it after him. A game of rock-paper-scissors occurs between the remaining three members to the room next to them, with Chase loosing. Sulking his way into the room, Thirteen races for the last one on the corridor, leaving Taub the last suite. The large open spaces of all the rooms reveal the city life of New York City. House immediately closes the blinds, and latches himself into Wilson’s personal space, hugging into him and squishing him against his body. Taub gazes out his window, the beauty of New York stunning him. The spa bath slowly fills as Thirteen waits for it, enjoying the new bathroom appliances. Chase jumps on the bed, feeling the soft fabrics around him and the sounds so familiar to Melbourne surround him.   
Night falls quickly, with the occupants getting ready to meet the Lieutenant at a local fancy restaurant. Cab filled to the brim with passengers, they embark on their journey. Lights flash with every second that passed, a multitude of colours and mixtures. Wilson moved his body closer to House in an attempt to get Chase off of him, the gum-chewing Australian annoying him. House snickers, letting him fall against the headrest. The roads become busier, the closer they get. The rustling of clothes and tyres squealing against the pavement cause irritation among the passengers, until they suddenly stop. They’ve arrived at their first meeting.


	2. And Around We Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New Chapter! Disclaimer: I don't own Forever or House M.D., rights go to ABC and Fox respectively.

The Lieutenant sits patiently waiting for her guests. Constantly glancing at the clock, she understands that the traffic is horrible at this time of the evening, but is afraid that her medical experts are going to be late. Joanna sighs, thinking about the reason to why she needed people out of the state. Some of her officers over the years had decided to upset their guests, and the Chief Medical Examiner had the same problem, sometimes to a greater extent, with two. She hoped that these people will be able to cope with this year’s talk and check-up. The Medical Examiner had given up, leaving her people into Joanna’s unwilling arms, meaning that the police department and the OME would finally be together. She just prays that the ones causing the trouble won’t be lopped together, and that Morgan behaved himself for once in his life.   
Outside, commotion occurs. A young blonde man jumps out of the bus first, holding the door open for the remaining passengers. A greying man with a cane exits next, a younger handsome following. Next emerges a young woman, apparently yelling to the last one, bag of chips in hand. The blonde steals them, leaving a short man to have a door slammed in his face. He bangs on the door, the noise echoing into the restaurant. The woman laughs, opening the door when given a glare from the oldest. Together, they proceed to enter the diner. Sighing once again, Lieutenant Reece goes forth to greet the doctors.  
One by one, they introduce themselves. Impressed with the level of the intelligence and doctorates these doctors had, Joanna decides it was a good idea to bring this team over. Sitting down, the Australian proceeds to ask the Lieutenant all the questions he can about the American police department, seemingly different from those he knew about. Skipping between answering the questions and asking her own, they settle into a calmed frenzy. The doctors had done marvellous jobs over the years, and while she understood few of the terms they used, the medical examiners would be. Taking a quick mental note, Joanna tells herself to remember to tell Jo that Henry was not to be left alone with these doctors, least someone is murdered.   
With the dinner coming to a close, and the city still bustling with tourist and citizens alike, Reece sends them on their way. They crowd back into the bus, Thirteen leaving the men to go after her. Shaking her hand, Wilson thanks her for her time, with House mumbling in the background. Oh, this weekend was going to be interesting. Chase lingers for a moment around them, attempting to get the attention of the older doctors. He’ll be damned if they don’t leave on time, with impatience marking his every move. Understanding of his panic, Joanna farewells them and takes her own car back to the station.   
Preparations were being made in every area of the precinct, with the bullpen as clean as they get it, the morgue sterilised thoroughly again and again. They would need to do their check-ups in there, with Dr Morgan not being enthralled at all. Several new bodies had arrived the day before, and the autopsy was delayed until Monday, giving the good doctor a reason to sulk. For a man who acted and knew more than his age, he had the maturity of a two-year-old at some points. If he and Doctor Washington didn’t fight every time this occurred, they wouldn’t need to do it at the station itself.   
The only ones that were in at the time were Hanson and Jo, going over their notes for the final case of the week. It had been a rough one, with a serial rapist going over single mothers and leaving their dead bodies on a grotesque display. Taking the files from the two, she kicks them out of the office, sending them back home. Looking over it, she notices the rough scrawl of Hanson, and smooth glides of Henry’s pen-ship on Jo’s file. She can’t help but laugh, it hadn’t been the first time that Jo had snuck her file into Henry’s, and without noticing, he does it for her. When he’s engrossed in his work, Morgan doesn’t notice what anyone else does. Shaking her head at the detective’s cleverness, she leaves the janitors to clean the remaining few spots of the building, and leaves for home.   
Hanson races home to greet Karen and the kids, still up watching Mad Max. Nestled between his wife and children, he allows himself for the first time in weeks to relax. The weekend was going to be chaotic, but for now, he’s happy with his family. Unusual for a normal day, a fresh meal is laid out for the entire family, hot chicken and real gravy spread across the table. Digging in, he relishes in the excitement and happiness.   
Jo heads towards the bar, planning on drinking herself under the table. It’s been ages since she wanted to, but Sean’s birthday was coming up, and she was upset. More than upset. The only people who knew were Henry and Hanson, and both were most probably busy with their family. Ordering straight whiskey, she dials Henry just to make sure he wasn’t available. After the final ring, he answers. Jo’s voice cracks as she tries to explain where she was. Telling her to stay put, Henry enters the driver’s seat for the first time in twenty years.   
Shaking slightly against the panic that runs through him, he sets off. Managing to not crash the car, not wanting to break Abe’s love, he arrives at the address. Joining Jo, she drinks the heavy alcohol, with Henry opting for the Diet Coke. Laughing at his simple, and unusual, choice, Jo continues to have shots, the alcohol burning her throat. Silently telling the bartender to weaken down her drinks, Henry slowly encourages his companion to stop, and let him take her home. Crying with little sobs, he takes her around the city, gradually driving her home. Dropping her off, he carefully drives himself to the apartment. This weekend was going to be hell, for him and everyone else. But this time, he’s going to try to do well, seeing how hard everyone was working.


	3. Time is brought forth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, welcome to Chapter 3! Hope you enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Forever or House MD, all rights belong to ABC and Fox.

The team exit the building in a flurry, each member holding various sizes to coffee and tea in hand. Chase jumps around everyone, having already consumed two large coffees with three bags of sugar, finding it hilarious every time House shouted at him to stop. The car from the night before awaits them in the car port, the driver looking at the strangely over the edge of his glasses. Thirteen races for the back again, Taub chasing after her. House curses after them as he limps towards the bus, Wilson trotting behind him. Entering the vehicle, Chase yells about his choice of music and jumps into the passenger seat. The driver seems to be unhappy, but allows the young man to stay. Bush ballads breaks themselves over the speakers as Chase hooks up the music, groans overcoming the cabin. The drive to the precinct was going to take over an hour with New York traffic, and the time after that for preparation was half an hour. The songs continued to blare over the passengers, ranging from The Man From Snowy River and Waltzing Matilda. House slept against Wilson’s shoulder, snoring in rhythm of the younger man’s breathing. Taub and Thirteen sat facing each other in silence, staring straight ahead at one another as yet another Australian song filters its way through their ears.   
Jo blearily opens her eyes, a gigantic headache forming in her head. Fighting against the pounding on her brain, she sits up, gagging at the taste of vomit in her mouth. Swimming through dim memories and hazy thoughts, Jo struggles to remember how she got home. Damn Henry Morgan. She didn’t even know he could drive, let alone was able to pick her up without a goddamn GPS or whatnot that man uses. A water sat on the countertop in the kitchen, a scribbled note underneath it. Henry had taken the time to put her phone on charge, put the dishes away and set out the required medication in the matter of five minutes of dropping her off at home, while she struggled to get out of bed. She would never hear the end of this, apparently. The weekend seemed long enough already.   
Henry walked around the morgue, vigorously wiping down missed spots on the benches and tables. He had been in his office since five in the morning, getting up early in fear that everything wasn’t in order. The morgue was more than spot-less, he had spent the last three hours scrubbing over every inch and filing away all the unfinished cases from earlier into the week. Everything was in order, pristine and ready for inspection. If Washington was to come in and mess up his hard work, Henry was ready to grab the nearby scalpel and kill him. No. He was going to behave himself, and if that meant being nice to his fellow doctor, then he would just that. Adjusting his scarf more on his neck, he heads to the elevator to see if Jo had arrived yet. What a hangover she’ll have for the examination. Oh how he hates the examinations. He’ll pass of them, he knows, but he’ll have to be extra careful that they don’t find anything suspicious in his bloodwork.   
The team of doctors arrive through the main entrance, the Lieutenant greeting them after the doors. Police officers and detectives scurried around, desks and chairs being pushed back and a set-up being made in regards to the presentations for Sunday. Joanna calls out to a stoutly detective, introducing him as Mike, and sending them into the care of Hanson. Unimpressed with his bosses choice, the detective attempts to thoroughly show their guests around. He spots Jo sitting at her desk, the eccentric doctor standing over the top of her frantically waving his hands. Having spotted him, Jo ushers him and their guests over. Hanson takes care, not wanting the weird friend of theirs to upset anyone.   
Henry stops talking as he notices Hanson with a cluster of people. Recognising them as the examination doctors, Henry attempts to escape from introductions, farewelling Jo. She stops him, knowing what he was about to do and makes him stand patiently at her desk. Glaring at her while she snickers, Henry loses his chance as Hanson moves forth and sets to introduce the ‘crew’. A greying man with a limp is announced as House, a mousey looking man standing in his personal space is Wilson. Immediately, he spots the relationship between them, but being in some-what of a good mood he stays quiet. The only female on the team is introduced as Hadley or ‘Thirteen’. The hyperactive younger man’s name is Chase, with a heavy Australian accent. Henry is going to enjoy this man. Everyone had at least made one joke about his Welsh accent, which they all thought was English and he’s waiting until the day he tells them, but this Australian had a thick Melbourne accent. Last but not least, the short man introduces himself as Taub.   
Jo instantly zones into Dr House. That must be the doctor the Lieutenant was telling her to keep Henry away from, he just seemed like that person. She could tell that Henry was also gauging who they were, and she prayed that he wouldn’t say anything. The doctors were staring right back at the police officers. In turn, the surrounding officers, along with Jo and Henry introduce themselves. They seem unimpressed at all of them, with House grabbing a small orange tube and popping something into his mouth. Henry notices it as well, and laughs to himself. They brought a drug addict into a police station? That was good.   
As the police officers introduce themselves, House tries to zone out, Wilson interfering by knocking his shin. Everyone was Constable, uniform and Sergeant. Only few differed from those positions, and seemed unimpressive in appearance. One detective and the fellow caught his attention though. The duo that Hanson introduced the team to somehow intrigued him. They were the last to speak for themselves, the young female Detective Jo Mat, and the male Doctor Henry Morgan. The Detective caught his interest immediately, the tan tones and rough demeanour. She obviously downplayed her lifestyle, the nicely shaped clothing of cheap material. She stared him down as he gazed at her, and the lightness in those eyes confused him. With such a job, wouldn’t she feel haunted? The Doctor however intrigued him even more. He stuck close to the detective, not venturing towards the officers or team. He dressed with age, and every scrap or scratch of noise caught his attention. He’d been through something, something big but the others didn’t realise about it. Dark brown eyes fluttered from person to person in House’s entourage, resting on his figure as he tried to work the other man out. Sensing the tension, Jo asks Henry for his opinion on the ending of a case, trying to finish a last minute file she didn’t finish. A smooth English accent brought words that glided across the page. Oh, fabulous. House had a Brit to annoy.


	4. Forever is tested

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions between the two doctors rises, and Henry's secret may be under investigation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for not updating in a while, I've been busy with other stories and haven't had any inspiration for this one. If you have any prompts or inspirational ideas, please bring them forth! However, enjoy!

The introductions had gone well, which Reece’s glad for. The examinations were due to start any moment, with both her and the Chief Medical Examiner present for the starting talks. Seeing everyone settle down and walk towards their seats, she takes note of where Morgan and Washington are, and relaxes as she sees the younger doctor near Jo and Hanson, on the opposite side of the room as Washington. Wilson takes the lead for the talk, formally introducing himself and the team, and giving instructions as to what would be happening. The talk was brief, and soon groups of people, in order of last name, were herded down to the morgue.   
House grows bored in minutes; the mindless work and complaints of officers and ME’s just wasn’t up to his standard. He was stuck in a tiny box made of plastic sheets and poles, providing privacy for everyone. Either there were no problems to solve, or so solvable they would go onto Google and help themselves out for once. Over hours, the team worked vigorously until lunch, where they were escorted back up to the bullpen for a buffet. People are mingling about, making polite conversations and small-talk before House and Wilson find themselves again in the presence of the doctor and detectives. House was curious of this man, he was sure that he had seen him somewhere before, but couldn’t place his finger on it.   
Henry instantly felt the other doctor’s gaze on him, the intensity increasing as he turns around to see him right beside them. Henry unconsciously steps back closer to Jo, letting her talk to the other two doctors in their company. It was obvious to see that House was intrigued about something, but Henry ignored it in favour of talking to Hanson, dragging the detective’s mind away from his examination. They weren’t tough on Hanson, but said that he needed to go to the gym more often, which Henry slightly agreed with. He knows that Hanson is a stress eater, and the past few cases were more of a handful than most in his career. It was almost up to the ‘M’ section when Henry and Jo join the crowd going to the morgue, the doctors joining in the same elevator. Jo feels the tension oozing off of Henry when the five doctors crowd into their space, allowing the man to back behind her. She cares deeply for her friend, even with his quirks and eccentricities, and she isn’t going to allow some outsiders destroy Henry back into what he was when she first met him.   
There are chairs placed towards the elevators once they arrived, Henry sitting down in one as Jo is called upon. She winks at him as she walks past, purposely scuffling his hair, and ignores his look of distaste. It doesn’t take long before she comes back, grinning up at him and telling him how nice Doctor Hadley was to her. Time after that, Henry is ordered to enter. He slowly lifts himself from his seat, and begins shuffling his way to the glass doors. Jo groans before taking his scarf and watch, ignoring his mock growl, and shoves the unwilling man through the door, quietly telling him to behave himself in their company. He scoffs, he’s over two hundred years old, he knows how to behave himself around people he didn’t like. Knowing his luck, he’ll be stuck with House.   
After that thought, Henry knows that he immediately jinxed himself as House finishes up with his patient, and motions for the next person. Henry reluctantly walks over, silently sitting down on the table. House laughs to himself as he sees how uncomfortable the British man is, and starts the examination. They start with the easy stuff, blood tests and weighing himself before moving towards the more harder exams. Henry prays that the man is so arrogant that he didn’t read any of the files, as with injuries he’s gained don’t have any scars. He builds up the courage before House tells him to take off his shirt, revealing the gunshot wound over his heart.   
House nearly looks surprised before covering up his facial expressions. But he knows that man should be dead with that type of injury. Ignoring his gut feeling for now, he instantly quietens down at the look of Henry’s face. It’s a mixture of emotions, from shock to confusion, as each doctor had voiced their concerns immediately and looks of horror overcame their face. Not this one however. They dive back into the testing, the British doctor trying not to flinch every time an instrument is brought near him or House touches him.   
House was a little impressed that a medical examiner had quite the physique, the man’s body better than most he had seen already. In a practical sense, Henry Morgan was more than fine, but House wanted to know more about the scarring over the man’s heart. It was vicious to look, the wound having obviously not been treated properly, which was reflected by the scar tissue. Excusing himself, he determinedly looked-for Morgan’s file, flicking through it quickly. There was a gunshot wound to the shoulder, but nothing major before he came to New York. Cursing at himself, he limps back in and signs the doctor off. He was curious, but he wasn’t going to directly ask the man if he could help it.   
Henry almost runs out, ignoring the startled looks and glares behind him. He knows that a minority of the precinct don’t like him, believing that he’s arrogant and trying to impress Jo to get in bed with her. He knows that rumours, the gossip and the quite frankly funny bet on his sex life, but ignores it. Petty things didn’t require his attention, he had murders to investigate, not office gossip. Finding his office blocked, he growls to himself knowing that Reece most probably intentionally set that up, and instead heads to the elevators to find Jo.   
He finds her in the miniature kitchen, snatching the purple scarf back off of her. He gently takes the pocket watch, some tension leaving his body. Henry opens and closes it a few times, the repetitive motions furthering calming him down, though by Jo’s frown it’s annoying. He immediately stops, afraid of upsetting Jo, who suddenly looks sad. But he can’t decipher way, he stopped. Reece stands by her office, seeing her ducklings interact with each other. Seeing Henry with Jo, she smiles. It was cruel to practically lock him out of his office, but the odd duck needed to get out more. Downstairs, House forces his way through the lines, placing Henry’s blood test on top. He wanted results, and he wanted them in an instant.


	5. The Tortoise Overcomes the Hare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> House and his team quickly make their way towards the truth, and Henry is desperate to keep his secret hidden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that I haven't updated this in a while, I just didn't have the inspiration until suddenly BAM! Enjoy, and the next update will hopefully come soonish?

The doctors worked hard until night fell, finishing all tests and examinations, filing away all information. All but one left the precinct, House staying behind to investigate the British doctor who fascinated him so much. He tried every test he could think of on the small blood-sample, coming up with old diseases like smallpox, scurvy along with others like syphilis and tuberculosis. What really got to House was the fact that the doctor didn’t present a diagnosis for half of the diseases, while the other half would have him dead. Looking closer at the smallpox, it seemed to him to be an older strain of the pox, more along the ones from early Victorian ages, or perhaps older. Grabbing Morgan’s file and the photos that were taken during the examination, he cross-marked the injuries listed and the one’s seen. Apart from the quite frankly eerie bullet-wound over the man’s heart, nothing correlated. The doctor grows more confused than before, adamant to talk to his team later in the evening about his discoveries.   
Henry flitters around Jo’s house, tidying up tiny inconsistencies and flaws that weren’t even there. Jo had decided to invite Henry to her place, determined to ask her friend what was the problem after he had so kindly driven her home the night before. She was still left wondering if Henry could really drive, after all the man rode his bike or walked around the city if he wasn’t with her or Abe. Grabbing the wine from the top shelf and two glasses, she joins him in the lounge room where he was moving the cushions on the couch, seemingly going in coloured order before noticing her, stopping in time to fall onto the couch. Letting him get comfortable in her spot, she joins him, turning on the television and watching the first program that came up. Jo watches as he quickly goes through the glass, drinking two before she finishes her one. Carefully taking the bottle away from him, knowing of his tendency to ‘overdrink’ as he put it, she takes his hands and talks, letting him interrupt when he wanted to. They discussed things well into the night, with Jo letting him take the couch as they both drink too much for either of them to drive, and the doctor was slightly unwilling to get into a cab. Jo doesn’t blame him, with what happened with Adam.   
Jo woke up before the doctor, groaning against the second hangover in the past two days. Rolling out of bed, she lands on the floor with a slight thud, echoing around the silent house. Henry immediately jumps off of the couch, disorientated and confused to his surroundings. Hearing the table being knocked, Jo races out of her room in her robe, taking in the sight of Henry standing in the middle of a slight mess, looking dazed and a little hurt. She gives him a moment to orientate himself before approaching, not wanting a repeat of the last occurrence. She gets ready while he cooks breakfast, a quick meal before the head towards Abe’s Antiques then back to the precinct, both preparing for the long talk to come. Henry knows exactly what will be talked about, and is not ready for a long four hour discussion about taking care of oneself and how to stay healthy whilst working. He’d heard the spill before, he didn’t need to go through it, again. Wrapping his scarf tightly around his neck, he locks Abe’s Antiques without waking the other occupant, his son growing sicker as the days went on.   
House’s team glared at him as he went on with his brief talk, growing concerned as he rambles on about the impossible. Wilson subtly tried to sway him away from continuing his discussion, but House ignores him in favour of showing them his evidence. The data flicks over the shocked faces of his team as they take it in, everything pointing to the fact that the man should be dead, or close enough to it, but was healthier than most they had seen during the examinations. Discussing, they come to no conclusions, expect that they could potentially ambush the medical examiner in his office or in the lobby prior to the talks. Preparing themselves, they start to travel back to the NYPD at a quicker pace than the day before.   
Henry and Jo arrive before the majority of the others, grabbing cases off of Jo’s desk before heading down to Henry’s office, locking the door behind them and closing the blinds. They work in silence, just generally enjoying each other’s company, and the calm before the storm. Jo tries to keep calm as the doctor incessantly taps his fingers, his pen, and consistently opens and shuts his pocket watch. She knows how nervous the man is, and sets to ignore it for the remainder of their time in his office. They work for almost an hour, signing off cases and death certificates, Jo occasionally slipping a folder into his pile while he wasn’t paying attention. Henry knew exactly what she was doing, but lets her do it if that means she can go home at a reasonable time. A knock on the glass door brings their attention away from work, Henry hesitant to stop when he’s in the middle of his thought process. Jo cautiously approaches the door, lifting a tiny section of the blinds to see who it is. Sighing a breath of relief, she allows Reece to enter, Mike trailing after her.   
House and his team storm into the precinct, all heading towards the Lieutenant’s office to talk to her. Noticing her gone, House sends Thirteen and Chase off in one direction, Taub in another and Wilson and himself head down towards the morgue. Taking note of the empty desks of Jo and Hanson, House tries to walk faster towards the elevators, Wilson hurrying to keep in step after he suddenly turns. The young assistants, who had been at the morgue taking down the setup since early morning, glared at the pair as they stepped over the packed equipment and pushing tables out of the way to the glass door. Gripping his cane hardly, House knocks on the door.


End file.
